Ross-on-Wye
Encyclopedia
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town
with a population of 10,089 (according to the 2001 census) in southeastern Herefordshire
, England
, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean
.
. In 1745, the rector, Dr John Egerton, started taking friends on boat trips down the valley from his rectory at Ross. The Wye Valley
's particular attraction was its river scenery, its precipitous landscapes, and its castles and abbeys, which were accessible to fashionable seekers of the "Picturesque
". In 1782, William Gilpin's
book "Observations on the River Wye" was published, the first illustrated tour guide to be published in Britain. Once it was published, demand grew so much that by 1808 there were eight boats making regular excursions down the Wye, most of them hired from inns in Ross and Monmouth
. By 1850 more than 20 visitors had published their own accounts of the Wye Tour, and the area was established as a tourist area.
church of St. Mary's is the town's most prominent landmark and its tall pointed spire
is visible when approaching the town from all directions. The church holds several distinctive tombs, one of which – that of a certain William Rudhall (d.1530) – is one of the last great alabaster
sculptures from the specialist masons of Nottingham
, whose work was prized across medieval Europe
. Rudhall was responsible for the repair of the almshouses, situated to the north west of the church, in 1575. Another tomb is of John Kyrle
, a prominent figure in 18th century Ross, whose name is now given to the town's secondary school
and after whom one of the town's notable inns, The Man Of Ross, is also named.
in 1637. These people were buried nearby in a plague pit
, at night and without coffin
s. By 1896, the cross had fallen into disrepair and the top of the cross was missing. It was later restored to its former state.
Regular Thursday and Saturday market
s are held at the red sandstone
Market House building in the town centre, which was built between 1650 and 1654 replacing the older, probably wooden Booth Hall. The upper storey of the Market House now houses a Visitor Centre.
The town has also not had a cinema since "The Roxy" in Broad Street closed its doors for the last time in 1985. The cinema site was purchased by Gateway Supermarkets for development and the closure of the cinema has been a big issue for over 25 years.
Opposite the church, The Prospect is a neat public garden offering a view of the famous horseshoe bend in the River Wye, as well as pleasant views as far as the Black Mountains
. The ruins of Wilton Castle
, which lie to the west of the town, have now been fully restored and are open to visitors. The town sports a number of majestic sculptures created by Walenty Pytel
. The left bank of the River Wye boasts two of these. Despite the commonly held belief that both depict swans, one in fact shows ducks.
was a junction railway station
on the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway
constructed just to the north of the town. It was the terminus of the Ross and Monmouth Railway
, which joined the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester just south of the station. Opened on 1st June 1855, on 29 July 1862 the line was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway
, and in 1869 converted from broad gauge
to standard gauge
in a five day period. A line to Tewkesbury
was authorised by parliament in 1856, but was never built.
Closed under the Beeching Axe
, The lines to Ross closed in stages, with the final closure in 1964. The brick built station building has been demolished and the site redeveloped into an industrial estate, on which the brick built goods and engine sheds still stand.
Today, although the nearest railway station is Ledbury
on the Cotswold Line
, Gloucester
has a much better bus connection with Ross, and is a major interchange on the national rail network.
clubs. The men's club fields two senior teams and has enjoyed considerable success in recent years (league champions 2009/2010). Ross-on-Wye men's hockey club regularly fields two current Welsh
international players. Since 2009 the town has not had a senior football team. In previous years, Ross United F.C. and Woodville F.C. both fielded senior football teams of varying quality. In 1993 these teams were disbanded, and Ross Town F.C.
was established, which fielded the best of both teams. Ross-on-Wye Cricket Club is the local cricket team, with Ross junior and senior teams, wit the U15s currently Herefordshire county champions.
, Ross-on-Wye experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. A Met Office weather station provides long term climate data for the town.
, most famous for The Singing Detective
lived in Ross-on-Wye, in the later part of his life, until his death in 1994. at the age of 59.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
with a population of 10,089 (according to the 2001 census) in southeastern Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
.
History
Ross-on-Wye was the birthplace of the British tourist industryTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. In 1745, the rector, Dr John Egerton, started taking friends on boat trips down the valley from his rectory at Ross. The Wye Valley
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
's particular attraction was its river scenery, its precipitous landscapes, and its castles and abbeys, which were accessible to fashionable seekers of the "Picturesque
Picturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
". In 1782, William Gilpin's
William Gilpin (clergyman)
The Reverend William Gilpin was an English artist, clergyman, schoolmaster, and author, best known as one of the originators of the idea of the picturesque.-Early life:...
book "Observations on the River Wye" was published, the first illustrated tour guide to be published in Britain. Once it was published, demand grew so much that by 1808 there were eight boats making regular excursions down the Wye, most of them hired from inns in Ross and Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
. By 1850 more than 20 visitors had published their own accounts of the Wye Tour, and the area was established as a tourist area.
Parish church
The 700 year old parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
church of St. Mary's is the town's most prominent landmark and its tall pointed spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
is visible when approaching the town from all directions. The church holds several distinctive tombs, one of which – that of a certain William Rudhall (d.1530) – is one of the last great alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
sculptures from the specialist masons of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, whose work was prized across medieval Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Rudhall was responsible for the repair of the almshouses, situated to the north west of the church, in 1575. Another tomb is of John Kyrle
John Kyrle
John Kyrle , known as "the Man of Ross", was an English philanthropist, born in the parish of Dymock, Gloucestershire but best remembered for his time in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire.- Education & Legal Background :...
, a prominent figure in 18th century Ross, whose name is now given to the town's secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
and after whom one of the town's notable inns, The Man Of Ross, is also named.
Plague Cross
The Plague Cross, also known as the Corpse Cross, was erected in the church yard of St. Mary's church in 1637 as a memorial to 315 people who died in the town of the plagueBubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
in 1637. These people were buried nearby in a plague pit
Plague pit
A plague pit is the informal term used to refer to mass graves in which victims of the Black Death were buried. The term is most often used to describe pits located in Great Britain, but can be applied to any place where Bubonic plague victims were buried....
, at night and without coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
s. By 1896, the cross had fallen into disrepair and the top of the cross was missing. It was later restored to its former state.
Present day
The town is known for its independent shops, picturesque streets and market square with its market hall.Regular Thursday and Saturday market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
s are held at the red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
Market House building in the town centre, which was built between 1650 and 1654 replacing the older, probably wooden Booth Hall. The upper storey of the Market House now houses a Visitor Centre.
The town has also not had a cinema since "The Roxy" in Broad Street closed its doors for the last time in 1985. The cinema site was purchased by Gateway Supermarkets for development and the closure of the cinema has been a big issue for over 25 years.
Opposite the church, The Prospect is a neat public garden offering a view of the famous horseshoe bend in the River Wye, as well as pleasant views as far as the Black Mountains
Black Mountains, Wales
The Black Mountains are a group of hills spread across parts of Powys and Monmouthshire in southeast Wales, and extending across the national border into Herefordshire, England. They are the easternmost of the four ranges of hills that comprise the Brecon Beacons National Park, and are frequently...
. The ruins of Wilton Castle
Wilton Castle
Wilton Castle is a 12th-century Norman castle fortification located in southeastern Herefordshire, England on the River Wye adjacent to the town of Ross-on-Wye. The castle is named for the manor associated with it....
, which lie to the west of the town, have now been fully restored and are open to visitors. The town sports a number of majestic sculptures created by Walenty Pytel
Walenty Pytel
Walenty Pytel is a Polish-born contemporary artist based in the United Kingdom, recognised as a leading metal sculptor of birds and beasts. His creations are often inspired by nature and his artworks include the Jubilee Fountain in Westminster, a piece titled Take Off which is located at Birmingham...
. The left bank of the River Wye boasts two of these. Despite the commonly held belief that both depict swans, one in fact shows ducks.
Politics and representation
Most local government functions are vested in Herefordshire Council, the unitary authority covering the whole of the county. Ross Town Council, which consists of 12 Councillors (six elected from each of two wards), has the statutory responsibilities of a parish council The current Mayor is Councillor David Ravenscroft.Transport
The former Ross-on-Wye railway stationRoss-on-Wye railway station
Ross-on-Wye railway station is a former junction railway station on the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway constructed just to the north of the Herefordshire town of Ross-on-Wye...
was a junction railway station
Junction station
Junction station usually refers to a railway station situated or close to a junction where lines to several destinations diverge. The usual minimum is three incoming lines...
on the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway
Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway
The Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway , was a railway which ran for linking Hereford and Gloucester via Ross-on-Wye. It was opened on 1 June 1855 as a broad gauge line, it was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1862. In 1869 the railway was converted to standard gauge...
constructed just to the north of the town. It was the terminus of the Ross and Monmouth Railway
Ross and Monmouth Railway
The Ross and Monmouth Railway was a standard gauge railway of which ran between Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth....
, which joined the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester just south of the station. Opened on 1st June 1855, on 29 July 1862 the line was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, and in 1869 converted from broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
in a five day period. A line to Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
was authorised by parliament in 1856, but was never built.
Closed under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, The lines to Ross closed in stages, with the final closure in 1964. The brick built station building has been demolished and the site redeveloped into an industrial estate, on which the brick built goods and engine sheds still stand.
Today, although the nearest railway station is Ledbury
Ledbury railway station
Ledbury station is a small railway station on the outskirts of the town of Ledbury on the Worcester to Hereford line in the English Midlands. It also has services to Birmingham as well as Cotswold Line trains to London....
on the Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
, Gloucester
Gloucester railway station
Gloucester railway station serves the city of Gloucester in England. The station was originally built as the terminus of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway in 1840, but the arrival of the Bristol and Gloucester Railway and Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in 1844, and then conversion...
has a much better bus connection with Ross, and is a major interchange on the national rail network.
Sports
Ross-on-Wye is home to thriving men's and ladies hockeyHockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
clubs. The men's club fields two senior teams and has enjoyed considerable success in recent years (league champions 2009/2010). Ross-on-Wye men's hockey club regularly fields two current Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
international players. Since 2009 the town has not had a senior football team. In previous years, Ross United F.C. and Woodville F.C. both fielded senior football teams of varying quality. In 1993 these teams were disbanded, and Ross Town F.C.
Ross Town F.C.
Ross Town F.C. was a football club based in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England. The club was formed in the summer of 1993 following the amalgamation of the town's two senior sides, Ross United and Woodville, and joined the Herefordshire League Premier Division. They joined the Hellenic Football...
was established, which fielded the best of both teams. Ross-on-Wye Cricket Club is the local cricket team, with Ross junior and senior teams, wit the U15s currently Herefordshire county champions.
Climate
As with the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, Ross-on-Wye experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. A Met Office weather station provides long term climate data for the town.
Notable people
The dramatist Dennis PotterDennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
, most famous for The Singing Detective
The Singing Detective
The Singing Detective is a BBC television miniseries written by Dennis Potter, which stars Michael Gambon, and was directed by Jon Amiel. The six episodes were "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It"....
lived in Ross-on-Wye, in the later part of his life, until his death in 1994. at the age of 59.
Twin towns
- Betzdorf, GermanyBetzdorf, GermanyBetzdorf is a town and municipality in northern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the district of Altenkirchen. Betzdorf is located on the river Sieg, approx. 15 km south-west of Siegen. Betzdorf is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Betzdorf...
- Condé-sur-NoireauCondé-sur-NoireauCondé-sur-Noireau is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.It is situated on the Noireau River. In the fifteenth century, the town was occupied by the English, and belonged to Sir John Fastolf of Caister Castle in Norfolk...
, France since 1978 - Namutumba, Uganda